The Road Not Taken
by TeaRoses
Summary: What if Walter had been there that night in Cheddar when Seras was captured by the vampire priest? Manga based AU. Slight W x S. Written for the 30 Kisses challenge community on LiveJournal.


Disclaimer: Hellsing belongs to Kohta Hirano, not to me. No copyright infringement is intended or implied.

The Road Not Taken

The church was full of ghouls, and the ghouls held loaded guns. Walter wasn't interested in going in there himself. He stood outside by the door of the church. Alucard could take care of that girl now. She looked terrified. If only she knew how much more dangerous her "rescuer" was compared to the undead vicar who held her captive. Alucard would presumably keep himself in line though; Integral was in charge here.

The ghouls had finished their violent performance with the guns and Alucard had dissolved and rematerialized. Now Walter could hear him haranguing the other vampire for not being class-conscious enough. This was boring. He was about to leave when he heard Alucard shout.

"Hey girl, you a virgin?"

What the hell was he asking that for? Surely he wasn't thinking of turning her? Walter looked around the door again. The enemy vampire was holding the policewoman in front of him as a shield. The priest must think this was a stalemate. And if Alucard did shoot through her to hit the vampire... he could bite the policewoman afterward to save her. That must be what he was thinking. But Alucard had many ways of ending this battle without hurting her. And anyway, what did he care if he killed one human?

Walter sighed. If Alucard dragged home a new vampire, Integral would be unhappy. And this girl would probably be unhappy too. She looked so young, and she sounded so frightened. After a moment of consideration, Walter stepped through the doorway, drew the wires and made a quick motion with his hands.

The vampire priest screamed as his arms were ripped from his body. He dropped the girl, and when she fell to the floor Alucard shot the man through the chest. The vampire's body flopped backwards as Alucard, looking bored, fired several more bullets into him. 

When Alucard put his gun away, the police girl scrambled up from the floor, her blue eyes still wide with fear. She looked back at the mangled body of the dead vicar, then at the man in red who still stood between her and the door.

Walter ran down the aisle of the church toward her.

"What are you people then? More vampires?" she was shouting.

Alucard ignored her and turned to yell at Walter. "This girl was to be my prize!"

She looked disgusted and terrified at those words. 

Walter spoke softly to her. "I assure you we are on your side, and we will not hurt you. We are from Hellsing, an organization that hunts vampires. A human organization, with one exception."

"How did you tear his arms off?" she asked Alucard. "I didn't even see you move."

Walter drew out his wires. "Actually, I did that. I sliced through them with these. With care, I was able to do it without hurting you."

"I've never seen anything like those," she said.

"They're great fun at parties," joked Walter.

He smiled and the girl nodded, apparently deciding to trust them for now. She looked weak though, and her legs were trembling. Walter led the girl to a pew and sat down beside her.

"How dare you steal my reward?" railed Alucard. "Finding a virgin of this age... I would have given you immortality, you stupid woman."

The girl's blue eyes were wide now. "I don't know what you're talking about. So what if I'm a virgin? I just want to be a policewoman. I don't want anything to do with vampires."

"A wise choice," said Walter mildly as Alucard glared at him.

"It seems I have to thank you though. Both of you. I could have died. I don't know why I was so stupid as to come in here." 

"Neither do I," said Alucard.

Walter put an arm around her shoulders, hoping that his age would excuse the gesture. "It's over now. You're going to be all right. And anyone would be terrified in your situation. I should know; I've been in it."

Had he ever been young enough to be afraid? He wasn't sure, but he liked the way this woman smiled slightly at his words. He could feel the trembling stop as she calmed down.

Two female police officers came in then to tend to her. Walter stood up to let them sit down, moving to the front of the church again to look on as the girl spoke with them. Gradually, she sat up straighter, seeming to recover her nerve.

Alucard was still fuming. "Do you see? She has strength. I will not forgive you this."

"She would never have made a good vampire, any more than I would." replied Walter.

"Let's not revisit that old topic," muttered his old comrade. 

"And Integra would not have forgiven you for bringing home a new immortal."

"Eventually, she would have. Trouble is coming, and we will need all the help we can get."

"With you around?" Walter laughed. "I doubt it."

The two policewomen and their charge stood up now, ready to leave.

"Well, Walter. To the victor go the spoils," said Alucard in a low voice. "In the old days you would have at least stolen a kiss from your rescued maiden."

"Need I remind you how long ago those days were? I'm an old man, with no business chasing after a young lady like that." 

Walter watched as she left the church. "She is very lovely though, especially those eyes."

At the door, she turned around and called out to thank them again. Walter nodded and smiled in response. She was gone then, back to a life without Hellsing, and he had not even learned her name. 


End file.
